Rice marching band forms 'IX' at half vs. Baylor

The Rice marching band formed a IX Friday night at the halftime of a 38-10 loss to visiting Baylor in an apparent reference to the sexual-assault scandal that has rocked the Waco, Texas, school this year.

The Marching Owl Band, which has long been known for its parody-driven performances, took the formation in front of the Baylor fan section, in an apparent reference to Title IX.

Several sexual assault victims have filed Title IX lawsuits against Baylor, accusing the school of negligence in its handling of sexual assault claims.

Briles attends first half of Baylor-Rice game

Ousted Baylor coach Art Briles showed up at the Bears’ game against Rice in Houston on Friday night, telling ESPN he wasn’t “trying to be a distraction.”

Later in their performance, the band formed a star, in apparent reference to Baylor’s former president, Kenneth Starr.

According to the Rice Thresher, the school’s student publication, an angry Baylor fan confronted the band members after the performance but nothing more came of the situation.

Baylor has faced scrutiny for more than a year about how it handled sexual assaults involving athletes.

In May, the school released a summary of the Pepper Hamilton report, which detailed how Baylor — and specifically members of the football program — failed to respond to reports of sexual assaults.

After the summary was released, coach Art Briles was fired, Starr was demoted and ultimately resigned as university president and chancellor, athletic director Ian McCaw was suspended and resigned, and at least two other athletic department employees were fired.

Information from Mark Schlabach and Paula Lavigne was used in this report.